Work Text:
April 2nd, 1969
Murdoch had finally return to working order, meaning Donald and Douglas could finally have the chance to go to the Little Western Branchline near Arlesdale. The twins had been doing Murdoch's work by the time Duck’s Branchline had been open, and Sir Charles Topham II had station them to work on the branch, but things didn’t go quite to plan. The twins had been put on Ballast trucks for the meantime, mainly due to the fact Duck and Oliver were packed with holiday makers wanting to see the seaside, and they were big and strong enough to take them. Donald and Douglas set off near Arlesdale West, very excited for their new work, but when they arrived at Arlesburgh, but to their surprised, they were met with on train at all.
"Hey! Where is our train?" Asked Donald confused. Then, a very small red engine appeared from behind the sheds. He was very small, smaller than the Skarloey Engines at Crovan's Gates, but his design was like one of the bigger engines.
"They have been taken away, already," he said. The twins were confused.
"By whom?" Asked Douglas, but the engine rolled his eyes.
"God if I know. This engine has been doing the goods work; I don’t remember her name. I know Duck and Oliver have been helping," the engine replied. Donald and Douglas were a little annoyed.
"Cut the attitude, laddie. We are being serious," said Douglas.
"I am!" snapped the engine. "They just have been collecting the trains and taking them away. I only give the trucks to you," Then, the engine puffed away. The Twins were very cross. They wanted to know who had taken their train of Ballast.
"I swear to nee Lady. We always have things goin' missin' on us. First the coach and now this?" Remarked Douglas. "What next? Coal?"
"Don’t give up yet, Dougie. We can still find this... this Ballast Thief," said Donald. "All we have to do is found ‘em," he said.
“Aye, but where are we gonnae start first?” asked Douglas.
“That… is a very good question,” said Donald, as his brother just rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Of course, ye don’t,” muttered Douglas, as they sat there and thought for a moment.
“Aye! Maybe at Tidmouth. Surely someone could have seen him take the trucks,” suggested Donald.
“Ya’ think so?” asked Douglas.
“Aye yeah. Now come on! Let’s go there,” said Donald, as he puffed away, and his twin followed.
At the Tidmouth Station, Rebecca was there. Gordon was doing the express this time, so she took Henry’s passengers for the day, while he was at the Works. She looked over and saw the Caledonian twins looking around the station yard, while Rosie was trying to do her work.
“Hey! What are you two doing here?” asked Rosie confused. “Aren’t you pair supposed to be taking Ballast trucks?”
“We would be, if a nee train didn’t go missing,” said Douglas as he explained to the two girls about their train going missing.
“Have ye seen an engine ye never seen before?” asked Donald to Rosie.
“No, I haven’t. I only just got back from Crovan’s Gates, but I haven’t seen any engines before,” replied Rosie. Donald looked a little disappointed.
“Do you two… know what the engine looks like?” asked Rebecca from Platform 3 to the twins.
“No,” said Douglas. “Donnie just pulled that idea out of his rear tender,” to which Donald looked at his twin crossly,
“Oi! You dinnae have to agree with this, y’know?”
“Aye, but we have a job to do, and our ballast is gone because of this thief,” replied Douglas.
“And ye saying it’s my fault?” asked Donald, but Rebecca cut in before a heated and pointless argument broke out between the brothers.
“Okay, you two arguing isn’t going to get you pair anywhere,” Rebecca pointed out. The twins looked over to her and agree to not say anything, as the yellow engine took a deep breath and thought back to this morning before getting out of the sheds.
“Well, when I was in the sheds, getting prepared for the day, I did hear an unfamiliar whistle,” began Rebecca. “Then, I looked over to the mainland, and saw an engine, I have never seen before. They were carrying a long line of ballast trucks and seen to be heading east of the island…. But I don’t remember much of h- Oof!” as Rebecca was cut off by her coaches being shunt behind her roughly by Jeanette, the Fat Controller’s new station polit.
“They were like the twins, but fatter,” she rolled her eyes. She had been up early this morning and was very tired. She didn’t want to deal with the twins either, after their most recent encounters with her treating Duck.
“What do ya mean?” asked Rosie.
“I mean, they were fatter in the boiler but had the same wheel arrangement as them. Look!” she replied sternly, pointing with her eyes to the twins’ wheels. “Other than that. Don’t know what they look like,”. The twins thought, as they tried to think about stations and yards on the mainline.
“Aye, maybe Edward’s Branchline?” said Douglas. “That’s east, and goods have been sent to his branch recently,”
“Aye, I could be where the trucks are too,” said Donald. The twins looked at each other and smiled, feeling proud of themselves. The girls were confused.
“What are they smiling about?” whispered Rebecca to Rosie.
“I… have no idea, Beck,” she replied. As the twins laughed.
“Aye. Thanks, lassies, for ya help.” Said Douglas as they slowly backed up.
“Oh! Thank you,” replied Rebecca blushing.
“We will tell you how it went,” said Donald as they whistle goodbye.
“Good luck, boys,” peeped Rosie.
“Have a good day,” whistled Rebecca.
“Whatever,” muttered Jeanette rolling her eyes, as she got back to work, whilst Rebecca’s guard blew her whistle, and she steamed out of the station and Rosie went back to work.
Meanwhile, the twins were heading towards Wellsworth down the mainline. Traffic had to be halted, as reports from signalmen on shift about the pair going down the line without their trains, or weren’t due to past yet, was recorded. Trains had to stop, even the express, which Gordon wasn’t too pleased about, but the twins had other things on their minds.
“Why wouldn’t the Fat Controller tell us about this engine?” asked Donald.
“I dinnae know but I nere should he’ll have the fright of his life after foundin’ out ‘bout us. Stealing our trucks away,” replied Douglas, as his speech muttered at the end. The pair sectioned off at Wellsworth Station where Edward was at the station with his coaches. He heard the twins’ whistles, and understandable was very surprised to see them
“Hello, Donald, Douglas. May I ask what are you two doing here?” he asked, but the twins were too busy.
“Founding the thief to our ballast.” Donald replied. Then, the pair notice something, or rather, someone in the yard. They never seen an engine like this before. It had 6 wheels like the twins, wore a black livery, like they did when they arrived on Sodor, but it had a slightly fatter boiler than the two, and had a golden done on top. It was in the yard shunting the ballast with Paxton, as the twins pulled along side them, very cross.
“Oi, That’s our ballast, laddie!” shouted Douglas.
“I’ll have you know that this is the train that I was talk to take here to Wellsworth, not you,” she replied, relieving her face to the twins, who were very surprised.
“Wait… you’re a woman??” they asked, not expecting a female engine to take their train. The engine rolled her eyes. Edward and Paxton felt the embarrassment that the twins were feeling and couldn’t help but cringe at the awkward site.
“Yes, I am, and since you to are now very behind schedule, It would be best for you pair to go back to the Western to collect your big train of Ballast to Vicarstown that Mike was so kindly making for you two, but it seem that you two are the only engines capable of taking the ballast,” she explained. The twins stood their speechless. “So run along you two, or do I have to tell Duck to show you the Great Western Way after all?”
“Oi! You listen here, lass. We don’t take orders from you,” snapped Donald. “Only the Fat Controller,”
“And I’m simply passing on the word on,” she replied
“Don’t get smart with us,” snapped Douglas. The engine was getting cross. Edward was starting to get worried, and Paxton didn’t know what to do either. Thankfully, he didn’t have to do anything.
“Donald and Douglas!” came an all well familiar voice. The engines looked over to see a stout gentleman, it was the Fat Controller, who was on Edward’s trains and saw everything. The three engines wisely stopped arguing.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked sternly.
“Sir, she stole our-,” Donald was cut off by the Fat Controller.
“And no tell tales,” Donald looked at Douglas. Douglas rolled his eyes and sighed.
“… For our trucks, sir,” said Douglas. “Which she stole our ballast trucks, and we travelled across here to get them back,”
“These trucks are for Edward’s Branchline. This ballast is for the workmen so they can update the tracks.” Began the Fat Controller. “And you two were meant to take a long train to Vicarstown and Barrow, not running after a ‘thief’. You pair have cause confusion and delay, and now you pair will have to make up for a lot of lost time,” he said sternly. Donald and Douglas stood their very sheepishly.
“Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” they said. The Fat Controller cleared his throat as he continued.
“As for the ‘thief’, Grace here has been doing the ballast runs for you two, and I think you would be nice if you appreciate her help, not condemn,” he continued, looking at the engine. “No, you two can head back to Arlesburgh to finish your work, quickly now,”
“Yes, sir,” said the twins, puffing away. Grace watched them puff away, as the Fat Controller looked up at her.
“I appreciate your work today, Grace, but in further, arguing with the twins won’t get you anywhere,” he said.
“If I may sir,” said Edward interrupting. “The twins can be quite… stubborn to put it lightly,” the Fat Controller and Grace couldn’t agree more.
“Understood, sir. It won’t happen again,” she said. The Fat Controller walked back to Edward’s train and Edward finally departed from the station. Grace stood there with a lot to thing about, especially those twins.